Solve for $x$ : $4x - 8 = 7x + 9$
Solution: Subtract $4x$ from both sides: $(4x - 8) - 4x = (7x + 9) - 4x$ $-8 = 3x + 9$ Subtract $9$ from both sides: $-8 - 9 = (3x + 9) - 9$ $-17 = 3x$ Divide both sides by $3$ $\dfrac{-17}{3} = \dfrac{3x}{3}$ Simplify. $-\dfrac{17}{3} = x$